Do the right thing…and buy yourself a Pair of Air Jordan 4’s!

The release of the Air Jordan 4’s in 1989 featured some heavy promotion from Spike Lee, who reportedly liked the shoes so much that he plugged them in his movie Do the Right Thing as well as endorsing them (albeit as his alter ego Mars Blackmon) in the popular Can/Can’t do Nike commercials

Triple Double Threat

Meanwhile the young and upstart Bulls went through a major reshuffle in the 1988-89 season, with Jordan’s on court body guard and rebounding menace Charles Oakley traded to the New York Knicks in exchange for veteran Bill Cartwright. Young sophomores Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant were given more responsibilities in the starting line up and the Bulls were without a conventional point guard, as most of their guards were specialist outside shooters such as Craig Hodges and John Paxson who weren’t adept to primary play making and ball handling roles. Consequently MJ was thrust into the No 1 play making position whilst at the same time having to help fill in the rebounding void that was left by Oakley. As a result, MJ become 3-dimensional, recording 15 triple doubles that season, including a phenomenal streak late in the season where he had 10 triple doubles in 11 games. During that stretch he averaged 33.6 points, 10.8 rebounds and 11.4 assists.

MJ’s final season stats were staggering: 32.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists. In addition he was amongst the NBA’s leading thieves at 234 steals and shot an incredible 53.8% from the field and 85.0% from the line. For his efforts he was selected on both the All-NBA’s First team and All Defensive First Team.

‘The Shot’ – Reversing the fortunes of two Franchises.

The 1988-89 season marked the rise of a potential Dynasty – back then many thought that team was the Cleveland Cavaliers. The nucleus of young guns Brad Daugherty, Mark Price, Ron Harper and ‘Hot Rod’ Williams along with the aid of ex-Dunk champion Larry Nance and the NBA’s all time winningest coach Lenny Wilkens propelled the Cavs to an impressive 57-25 record, tying the LA Lakers with the second best record in the NBA that season behind the soon to be champion ‘Bad Boy’ Detroit Pistons. The Cavs drew praise from a lot of plaudits, including the NBA’s regular season MVP Magic Johnson who predicted that the Cavs would become the ‘Team of the 90’s’.

The first round of the 1989 Playoffs matched the Dynasty in waiting Cavs against Jordan’s erratic Bulls, who had regressed from the season before. The Cavs totally dominated the Bulls during that regular season, winning all 6 of their meetings including their final season game at Chicago stadium before their playoff matchup, where the Cavs rested their dynamic all star trio of Daugherty, Price and Nance and still won. Many sportswriters and commentators predicted a first round sweep for the Cavs….

How wrong were the predictions! If you’re going to bet, never bet against No 23, especially if he’s wearing Air Jordan 4’s!

Not only did Chicago bring the first round playoff series to a decisive fifth game at Cleveland, but Michael Jordan, (perhaps the greatest clutch player of them all) effectively eliminated the Cavs from the playoffs with his mid air hanging jump shot over Craig Ehlo that gave the Bulls a dramatic 1 point win. With ‘The Shot’, Jordan reversed the fortune of the two Franchises. From that point onwards, it was Jordan’s Bulls – Not the Cavs – that would go on to become the undisputed team of the 90’s by winning 6 NBA titles and cementing their place amongst one of the NBA’s greatest Dynasties!

The Cavs tragically became one of the most unluckiest teams to have played in Jordan’s era, as they became the victim of Jordan’s greatest on court exploits and were eliminated a further 3 occasions from the playoffs by the Bulls, including the 1993 playoffs, where Jordan’s ‘Shot 2’ once again eliminated the Cavs from the playoffs and brought about the demise of their once ‘Dynasty’ touted roster.

How ironic that the Air Jordan IV ‘Can/Can’t Do commercials coincided with these two team’s reversal of fortunes.

• For MJ – Can make the Shot. Can win titles. Can make the Bulls the team of the 90’s
• For Cleveland – Can’t beat the Bulls. Can’t win titles, Can’t become the team of the 90’s.

But with Lebron & Shaq now at the helm, Can the Cavaliers finally win a title? Only time will tell…

INTRODUCING MARS BLACKMON & THE JUMPMAN

In 1988, Nike unveiled perhaps the most famous Air Jordan shoe of them all, the Air Jordan 3. It introduced the ‘Jumpman’ logo, the iconic silhouette of MJ to commemorate his slam dunk contest triumph the year before. Coincidentally as if to accentuate his Airness, it also was the first Air Jordan sneaker to feature a visible air sole. To help promote the release of the Air Jordan 3, Nike enlisted the help of successful filmmaker Spike Lee to incorporate his alter-ego character Mars Blackmon from his breakthrough film ‘She’s gotta have it’.

HIS GREATEST INDIVIDUAL SEASON

The Air Jordan 3 coincided with the 1987-88 NBA season, which was simply Jordan’s greatest individual statistical season. The numbers says it all…NBA scoring leader at 35 points per game on 53.5% FG shooting, which is exceptional for a perimeter guard. Furthermore he lodged career highs in Player Efficiency Rating (31.71, third highest in NBA history) and NBA win shares (21.23, Eighth highest in NBA history). Jordan not only consolidated his standing as the game’s premier offensive force, but he was finally and belatedly recognised as the NBA’s premier defensive force as well.

His career high season totals of 259 steals and 131 blocks were instrumental in him winning the 1987-88 Defensive Player of the Year, an award that Jordan himself admitted was the one “that meant the most to him.” But in the eyes of his peers and fans, Jordan was presented with the greatest individual honor, winning the NBA’s most valuable player award for the 1987-88 season. It was the first time in history that a player had won both the MVP and Defensive player of the year awards in the same season, as well as leading the league in both scoring and steals and blocking more shots then over half of the league’s starting centers!

AN ALL STAR WEEKEND TO REMEMBER …AT MIKE’S HOUSE

The annual All-star weekend was held at Jordan’s ‘Madhouse on Madison’ – Chicago Stadium in 1988. It was an all star weekend to remember for Jordan, who participated in arguably the most competitive and exciting Slam Dunk contest in history. It featured the ‘who’s who’ of dunkers; The Human Highlight Reel  - Dominique Wilkins, the diminutive Spud Webb (who was the shortest Slam Dunk champion in history at 5 Foot 7) and Phi Slama Jama Clyde ‘the Glide’ Drexler.

The Slam Dunk contest ended up being a heavy weight shootout between Wilkins and Jordan in the final round. After a trio of perfect dunks (2 violent above the rim rattlers from Nique and a double clutched back slam from MJ), Jordan’s two handed rock the cradle dunk controversially drew a score of 47, which attracted a chorus of boos from the crowd. But Nique’s emphatic dual handed windmill could only draw a 45 from the judges. So the outcome of the Slam Dunk contest came down to Jordan’s final dunk, which he needed a 48 to tie and a 49 to win. Dramatically he walked to the back of the court and delivered his spectacular spread eagled dunk from the foul line, which caused his home crowd to erupt in delirium. The judges had no choice but to award Jordan a 50, which sealed his second consecutive Slam Dunk crown, being the first player in all star history to achieve this feat.

If Jordan’s Slam Dunk Heroics was the jewel in the all star weekend crown, then his All Star MVP performance was definitely the icing in the cake as he led the Eastern All-stars to a 138-133 victory over the Western All-Stars. Jordan scored 40 points on an incredible 17-23 shooting performance in just 29 minutes to seal the MVP award. It was the second highest scoring output in NBA All star game history.

JORDAN RULES!

Undoubtedly Jordan’s greatest game during his greatest season was his 59 point outburst against the Detroit Pistons in a 112-110 victory. The pre-championship Detroit Pistons were Jordan’s puppets at the time, as he continuously torched them at will, having lit them up for 61 points the previous season. Jordan hit 20 of his first 24 field goal attempts and sealed the game with a pair of game winning free throws. Ironically this was the game that Piston coach Chuck Daly and his Bad Boy contingents had enough of Jordan’s offensive explosions and decided to create the ‘Jordan Rules’ – an unprecedented defensive strategy aimed at containing Jordan’s scoring outbursts through double teaming and dirty physical ambushes aimed at knocking him down especially when he drove to the basket.

Is it the Shoes? … Money, it’s gotta be the shoes!

As Mars Blackmon would say in ‘She’s gotta have it’. It’s no coincidence that the Air Jordan3’s would top numerous polls as the greatest Air Jordan sneakers of all time & reportedly be Jordan’s personal favourite sneakers out of his AJ collection. It did feature heavily in Jordan’s greatest individual season. If the Air Jordan 3 shoes had ceased to exist, would Jordan have enjoyed the same level of success he had in 1987-88?……

Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!

Air Jordan 2 (1986 – 87)

Licence to Score

The arrival of the Air Jordan 2 shoes coincided with the 1986-87 season; Michael Jordan’s third of his career with a team he believed had less physical talent than any other Bulls team he ever played on. This was a team that just lost athletic talent like Orlando Woolridge, David Greenwood, Quintin Daley and the legendary George Gervin and preceded the arrival of future all-star teammates Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant and BJ Armstrong. As a result MJ and his then rookie coach Doug Collins both figured that Jordan needed a licence to score heavily if the Bulls were going to be any successful in the 1986-87 season, which meant reaching the playoffs.

Record Scoring Spree

MJ made his intentions clear to attack right from the opening game of the 1986-87 season when he torched the New York Knicks for 50 points at Madison Square Garden. In late November, he lit up the eventual 1987 world champion LA Lakers for 41 points, triggering a 9 game streak where he scored at least 40 points. This incredible feat was the third most consecutive game streak of 40 or more points behind Wilt Chamberlain. MJ would end up scoring 40 points or more in an incredible 37 regular season games, third most 40 point game season in NBA history! MJ concluded the season by scoring at least 50 points in 3 consecutive games – 53 points in a victory over the Pacers, 50 points in a win against Milwaukee and a season high 61 points in a close loss against the competitive Atlanta Hawks team. During that game, MJ scored 23 consecutive points for the Bulls which then was an NBA record.

Remarkable stats for a remarkable season

MJ concluded the 1986-87 season by scoring 3041 points, third highest scoring season by an individual in NBA history at an incredible average of 37.1 points per game. Equally impressive were his defensive stats; he made 236 steals and 125 blocks, confirming his dominance at both ends of the floor. His achievements enabled him to carry ‘the least physically talented Bulls roster of his time’ into the Playoffs, a herculean effort that recognized the Bulls as a one man team. His amazing statistical achievement netted his first All NBA team selection and was a runner up in the NBA MVP voting.

Air Jordan 2 – It’s gotta be the shoes!

Of course you gotta give his Italian made Air Jordan 2 shoes some credit for MJ’s points and popularity explosion during the 1986-87 season. The ciao bello factor with the stylish white low tops were instrumental in MJ starting another streak of his own – being the leading vote getter in the 1987 NBA All-Star game , confirming his status as basketball’s most popular player. It’s an achievement he would accomplish a total of  9 times during his illustrious career, including a streak of 6 from 87-93.

Furthermore MJ wore his Air Jordan 2 shoes when he won the 1987 Slam Dunk contest. He blitzed the field through his vast array of gravity defying dunks, including his side ways lean in ‘kiss the rim’ slam, his signature double clutched dunk from the foul line and of course his rockababy jam which highlighted his 1987 Air Jordan 2 shoe commercial.

It’s all in the imagination!

Air Jordan 1 (1984 – 86)

A Year of Controversies

The shoe that started it all – Michael Jordan was reportedly hesitant to wear the original black & red Air Jordan 1’s because he said they ‘were the Devil’s colors. How ironic, as these ‘dark demonic shoes’ triggered a hellfire of controversy that would catapult the Air Jordan brand into the stratosphere. Three games into MJs rookie year with the Bulls, the NBA banned the shoe because it didn’t conform to the rest of the Bulls Uniform and his teammate’s shoes. But MJ kept on wearing them and David Stern started fining him. Initially it started out approximately at $1000 a game, and then it went to $3000 and eventually $5000 a game. Nike however stood by MJ and was happy to pay the fines, because it would have cost millions of dollars more to produce an ad that generated as much publicity as the NBA’s ban.

As a result, Nike produced this ad (see below) which resulted in sales skyrocketing, just as much as MJ’s performances on the court and celebrity status off it.

Highlight Reel Performance

Another controversy that was again ironically caused by Air Jordan’s clothing merchandise led arguably to one of MJ’s finest performances with the Air Jordan 1’s. In the 1985 All Star weekend, MJ was promoting his first Air Jordan sweats by wearing them during his first Slam Dunk contest. Some players, in particularly Detroit playmaker Isiah Thomas thought MJ was being disrespectful because he wasn’t wearing his team’s uniform during the Dunk contest and thought his self promotion of his Air Jordan merchandise was stealing the limelight off the other more established veteran All-Stars. As a result, Isiah Thomas orchestrated the All-Star “freeze-out” by conspiring with teammates to deprive MJ of the ball in his inaugural All Star game. When news of this covert “freeze-out” was leaked out, it enraged MJ so much that he decided to inflict his vengeance on Isiah via the greatest means possible: on the basketball court. Right after the All-Star break, MJ’s Bulls coincidently played Isiah’s Pistons. MJ tormented the Pistons for a then rookie career high of 49 points (on a sizzling 19 of 31 FG shooting), 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals as he led his Bulls to a 139-126 OT victory. By contrast, Isiah was held to 19 pts on 5 of 15 shooting.

That would be the start of one of the NBA’s greatest rivalries between Jordan’s Bulls and the Detroit Piston ‘Bad Boys’ of Isiah Thomas and Bill Laimbeer.

Air Jordan 1 – Rookie of the Year

MJ’s inaugural season with the Air Jordan 1 reaped tremendous dividends. He averaged 28.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists per game and 2.4 steals, being one of a few rookies in NBA history to lead his team in scoring, rebound, assists and steals. In addition MJ joined Oscar Robertson at the time as the only players in NBA history to have averaged at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assist in their rookie seasons (Lebron James has since joined this illustrious company). For his efforts, MJ was awarded the NBA’s Rookie of the Year, beating out arguably the strongest draft class ever in fellow hall of famers Hakeem Olajuwon, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. MJ also was selected to the All NBA Second Team.

Air Jordan 1 – Sophomore Season

Arguably MJ’s greatest game in the Air Jordan 1’s came in his abbreviated second season, when he lit up the mighty Boston Celtics for a Playoff record 63 points. His performance compelled the NBA’s undisputed number one player at the time, Larry Bird to comment that he thought he was ‘God disguised as Michael Jordan!’ At the time the Celtics were not only compiling their greatest season in the 80’s but also statistically the best home season record in NBA history, losing just 1 game at Boston Garden for the entire 1985-86 season and playoffs. Yet that didn’t deter a young Michael Jordan, as he was keen to make up lost time for missing 64 games due to a foot injury by almost engineering one of the greatest Playoff upsets in NBA history. Although he ultimately fell short, he did push the mighty Celtics to double overtime in this classic encounter.

The Air Jordan 1 makes a Comeback

If you thought that the Air Jordan 1 was just limited to MJ’s first two seasons, then think again. In March 8, 1998 the Bulls paid the New York Nicks a visit at Madison Square Garden, arguably MJ’s favourite court (besides the old Chicago Stadium) for the final time that season. He reveres the Garden so much he often refers to it as the ‘Mecca of basketball’ To honor his final appearance at Madison Square Garden (as a Chicago Bull) and to show his appreciation to his beloved New York fans, he decided to put an encore by lacing up his Air Jordan 1’s…and then preceded to put in a scintillating show on the court! MJ torched the Knicks for 42 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in a 102-89 Bulls victory, not only cementing his love affair with the tough NYK fans, but also cementing the legacy of the Air Jordan 1 shoe.

It’s gotta be the shoes for sho! No pun intended.

Next – Air Jordan II

Did the shoe make the legend or did the man make the shoe legendary? Did his revolutionary Air Jordan shoes spur Michael Jordan to great heights or did MJ’s gravity defying spectacular performances simply add a legendary mystique to his shoes. Everybody wants to be like Mike, but everybody also wants to own a pair of Air Jordan’s. So which contributed more to the success of the Air Jordan brand – the man or the shoe?

Of course, without MJ’s amazing exploits on the basketball court, there wouldn’t be a Nike Air Jordan Jump man logo, albeit a brand that’s been a financial juggernaut in the sports shoes market. However wouldn’t you be curious to wonder how MJ faired with each Air Jordan model he wore in his basketball career. What were his greatest games for each Air Jordan shoe?

For the next few weeks, Jordans4Kicks will start a new series of articles called “It’s Gotta Be The Shoes”. We will go through each Air Jordan model that M J wore in his basketball career, from the Air Jordan 1’s from MJ’s rookie season to the Air Jordan 18’s (XVIII) in MJ’s last year in 2003; and evaluate his performances & highlight his best games for each shoe. So as the Bulls would famously do during their dynasty squad’s pre-game huddles – What time is it?? Jordan Time! Ooo!

Stay tuned for Part 1 – Air Jordan 1.

As the video states: “There is only one air Jordan brand so buy from the best in quality and craftsmanship. Fake or real Air Jordans is the question. Get to know the real authentic air jordan shoe and you will be able to spot a fake pair of jordans easily.”

Enjoy

Duration : 0:2:1

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I’ve seen alot of sites and read others warning about buying there…can anyone steer me somewhere to buy legit old school jordans?

There are a number of great sites online including, but definitely not limited to: FlightClubNY.com, PickYourShoes.com, Kixclusive.com and InStyleShoes.com

In a post-game interview after the Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat 111-104 yesterday, LeBron James announced that to honor Michael Jordan, he would not wear the same jersey number anymore. The Cavs superstar has worn the number 23 since he was a highschool sophomore and says that players should pay tribute and respect to Jordan for his long lasting impact on the game.

James, the reigning MVP, says that he is willing to make the switch and wants to start a petition to get every player in the league to give up the number 23. James himself says he plans to wear the number 6 in 2010, which he wore in the Olympics in 2008.

Current President of the Miami Heat, Pat Riley, hung Michael Jordan’s 23 jersey in the Heat’s arena, giving tribute to a player who has never even played for them. Riley asserts that Jordan is hands down the greatest player of all time and that his jersey should be hung league-wide in the same vein as Jackie Robinson. LeBron James maintains the same theory, saying that no player should wear the number 23 and that the NBA should retire MJ’s jersey.

There are many implications for this change. Is LeBron looking to pay tribute or to further separate himself, as a player from the greatest of all time? In 2007, Kobe Bryant changed his number from 8 to 24 with a popular explanation being that 24 was meant to be one greater than MJ’s 23. In this regard, as the Kobe vs. LeBron debate battles on, it is seen that James is giving tribute while Kobe is still trying to compete.

As for the number 6, James explains that he hit many peaks with that number on and off the court. In 2008 he won a gold medal with Team USA wearing the number 6 jersey. James states that his second favorite player was Julius Erving who wore number 6. LeBron’s first child was born on Oct. 6 and his second child was born in June.

Whatever the reasons, the number change can be the best thing to happen to LeBron James from a marketing standpoint. Given his impending free agency next year, a potential new team with a potential new number means there could be even more reasons to buy new LBJ gear. But let’s not give into speculation. As far as we’re concerned, LeBron has just given a humbling tribute to the greatest player to ever play the game, and his hero, Michael Jordan.

The new Air Jordan 2010 was unveiled yesterday marking the 25th anniversary of Air Jordan line. Last night Dwayne Wade and Michael Jordan were in Miami at a Jordan Brand Silver Anniversary press conference where they both revealed the Air Jordan 2010 sneaker.

“The celebration of the Air Jordan 2010 and our 25th anniversary are the pinnacle of a year full of milestones for me” said Jordan. “With each shoe, consumers have pushed me to take the next Air Jordan beyond their wildest imagination. The Air Jordan 2010 marks the future of the Jordan brand and proves there are no limits to what this brand is capable of creating”

While its bold circular window have instantly left people indifferent about its style, the performance aspect of the sneaker is said to be exceptional. Legendary shoe designers Tinker Hatfield and Mark Smith worked with MJ on the Air Jordan 2010.

Dwayne Wade is set to debut the Air Jordan 2010 during the Christmas Day game against the New York Knicks, but for the general public, you need to wait till February 13, 2010 and dish out $US170 to pick up a pair.

Prior to 1984, Nike was a small brand that had no credit in the basketball world; in fact it was in danger from being taken over by the fast paced sportswear market in general. Michael Jordan gave them the opportunity to create a business relationship that will lead Nike being the most popular athletic shoe company in the world. What they needed was a way to reinvent themselves in order to appeal to consumers once again. Nike saw an opportunity in Jordan and in a brilliant move signed a $2.5 million deal with him for five years. Thus the Air Jordan brand was created.

It was 1985 when the historic partnership was formed between the greatest basketball player of all time and arguably the greatest sports marketing company with the release of the first Air Jordan sneaker. It sported the simple colors of the Chicago Bulls uniform; white, black and red. This of course stirred controversy throughout the basketball industry as this type of sneaker had never been seen before. Basketball shoes were never released in anything but white and thus led to the sneakers being banned from the NBA, a ban that Jordan himself broke time and time again. The publicity that the shoes were receiving was starting to pay off as many companies were starting to imitate this unique shoe design.

The idea for the design of the Air Jordans was to take into account the aspects of Michael Jordan’s life, interests and hobbies when producing the shoes. As a result there are over twenty five different models available that offer a variety of style, color and design for the public to take advantage of. The great thing about the Air Jordans are that they’re not just for the basketball courts, they can be worn on a daily basis as well.

Each new Air Jordan sneaker that is created pushes the boundaries of style, design and technology.